Luka held his arm around Elijah’s neck, the two of them struggling as Elijah growled angrily, trying to get to the door, but Luka wasn’t going to allow that. Once again, Luka had pulled his brother
into the headlock he never quite knew how to escape from. Elijah was trying to pull his brother’s arm away from his neck, but he couldn’t. He even tried kicking his shins, but Luka easily dodged
each of his attempts.

Struggling, Elijah grunted – he could hear Kathrina outside, and he wanted to get to her and apologise, but his brother wasn’t going to let him go – why?! If he had caused this, then the least he
could do was try and explain himself to the people he had hurt.

‘’He doesn’t want to talk to you’’ came Merek’s cold, harsh voice.

Elijah’s eyed widened in fear – was Kathrina going to believe that bullshit?!

‘’I cannot do that’’ Luka said sternly, ‘’I will not let you anywhere near that girl until you can prove to me that I can trust you’’

He grunted angrily, listening to the footsteps outside fading, clearly both Merek and Kathrina had returned to wherever they had been before she came to talk to him, taking his chance of
apologising to her with them.

Why was Luka doing this? He should be the one insisting that he goes and apologises, but this time, he was the one keeping him from doing so. It made Elijah furious, but after what happened
earlier, he knew he couldn’t act upon that feeling, or it could happen again. His heart was racing, and he wanted nothing more than to throw Luka down and escape to Kathrina, but he couldn’t risk
losing control again. Slowly, he calmed down, letting go of his brother’s arm, and sighed quietly.

‘’Let me go’’ he grumbled.

Luka frowned, but started to slowly loosen his grip, allowing Elijah to walk free. Rubbing his neck irritably, Elijah turned around and glared at him.

‘’Sit’’ Luka said, pointing over at the table.

Elijah scowled evilly at his brother, but made his way over to the table and slumped down in one of the chairs. Luka followed and sat opposite him, a sceptical glare on his face. He really didn’t
like being this harsh to his brother, but it was the only way to get through to him. Elijah had always been a defiant, obstinate jerk, and hardly anyone could stand him for long, even fewer people
knew how to deal with him, Luka being one of them. But clearly, he hadn’t been harsh enough back when he made him swear to give up the blood, and now, he was going to have to try again. This time,
though, he had more reason and points to throw at him. He even had Kathrina to use against him. It was cruel, but there was no other way.

He leaned forward and tapped his fingers on the table, making Elijah look at him, ‘’so, how are we going to do this, brother?’’

‘’Great idea’’ Luka said – he suddenly jumped to his feet and before Elijah could react or try to fight back, Luka grabbed the back of his head and harshly smashed the right side of his face down
onto the table, ‘’anymore suggestions?’’ he asked, looking down at him as he grunted painfully.

Elijah growled irritably, staring at the end of the table as he spat blood from his mouth, growling as his brother stood over him, waiting.

‘’I am sick to death of this, Elijah’’ Luka growled, still holding his face against the table, ‘’I hate doing this as much as you hate having it done to you, but there really is no other way
to make you fucking listen’’

‘’Great’’ Elijah spat, ‘’you’re going to lecture me, right?’’

‘’Yes, I am. But this time, I will not cease until I know for a fact that you understand’’

Slowly, Elijah looked up at his brother, glaring at him from the corner of his eye, ‘’do your worst, asshole’’

Luka smirked. This was going to take a while.

Beneath the deck, Kathrina was standing outside Harley’s door, a troubled look on her face. She had just decided upon something, and she needed his help to go ahead with it. The only thing stopping
her from going in to ask was the fact that she was the reason he was in his current state. She felt awful, and hadn’t even taken the time to apologise. But right now, all that mattered to her was
her decision.

Sighing, she raised her hand and gently knocked on the door. There was no answer, but she didn’t plan on waiting for one. She pulled down the handle and walked into Harley’s room, closing the door
behind her.

Then, as she turned around, she stared over at Harley who was lying on his side in his bed, snoring quietly.

‘’Harley’’ she said, starting to walk over to him.

But he didn’t wake up.

Reaching him, she grabbed his left shoulder and shook him gently – he flinched and slowly rolled over onto his back, looking up at her vacantly.

‘’Kathrina?’’ he asked, blinking slowly.

‘’I need your help with something’’ she said impatiently.

Harley frowned, but slowly sat up, grunting as he gripped his right shoulder painfully, ‘’what do you need?’’ he asked.

She didn’t hesitate to ask, ‘’I need you to teach me how to say something in Japanese’’

‘’You what?’’ he asked, surprised.

‘’Can you?’’ she asked, staring at him.

He dragged his hand over his face and sighed quietly, ‘’yeah’’ he mumbled as he let his hand fall back to his side, ‘’yeah, whatever. What do you want to know?’’

‘’Yeah’’ he grumbled, getting impatient, ‘’I won’t. Now hurry and ask, I’d like to get back to sleep’’

Looking at him, she exhaled deeply. This was it.

Luka slowly let go of Elijah and backed away as he sat up, angrily rubbing the side of his face that had been smashed down onto the table.

‘’Now, sit there and listen to me’’ Luka said sternly, staring at Elijah who slowly glared back.

Elijah snarled quietly, but waited. He knew there was no way to escape from his brother’s lectures, and if he wanted to see Kathrina, he was going to have to sit through it.

Slowly, Luka walked back over to his seat and sat down, ‘’this is the only time I’m going to give you another chance. I don’t want to hurt you, brother. I hate that I have to do this. So, spare us
both the pain and sort this mess out. You already know that you need to stop with the blood; you have already lost complete control of yourself once, and nearly killed both Kathrina and I in the
process’’

Ashamed and perturbed by that fact, Elijah slowly looked down at the floor. He really had hurt Kathrina, and his brother. He had lost control, worse than he ever had before – it was so bad that he
didn’t even remember anything. He had never felt so ashamed of himself, and he had no idea how to explain his sorrow to Kathrina – he didn’t even know if she wanted to hear it.

Luka sighed, ‘’Eli, do not allow it to consume you. You did not kill anyone – this time. Use this as a wake-up call; quit the blood, get a grip on yourself and stop being so pig-headed. I’m trying
to help you, you clearly cannot get through this alone. If you so much as seem tempted to drink a single drop of blood to me, I will not hesitate to drag you into a cell and rehabilitate you
myself. I will personally torment you so seriously that you will turn away in fear at the sight of blood. I will make it so you can’t even stand to be close to anyone – I will turn you into the
loneliest, coldest piece of shit anyone has ever seen, but in the end, it will all have been for your own good. And you know for a fact that I am not bluffing. You have seen me do this to other
people, and you know how effective it is. You may be my brother, but if I have to go to such lengths to protect you, you know I will’’

Elijah slowly looked up at his brother, the serious look on his face rather unsettling. The last thing he wanted was to be out through the kind of torture his brother specialised in. He was, after
all, a Master Level Ninja, and with those skills came his incredible interrogation and torture techniques. Elijah knew exactly what it involved, and he would rather suffer having his eyes ripped
out again several times over than be put through Luka’s ‘rehabilitation’.

He sighed and leaned back, ‘’alright’’ he mumbled.

Luka scowled, ‘’alright… what?’’

‘’I’ll stop. I have too. I will not risk something like this happening again. Do whatever you have too, just make sure Kathrina is alright’’ he said sadly, looking down at the floor again.

His brother stared at him, thinking. Luka really didn’t want to have to be this harsh to him, but it looked like it was working. He wasn’t completely convinced, but he felt lenient enough to allow
Elijah to at least try and apologise to Kathrina.

Slowly, he sat up and sighed, ‘’you can do that yourself’’

A look of hope consumed Elijah’s depressed face as he looked over at his brother.

Luka nodded, ‘’you can go and talk to her – or at least try. Five minutes, then you come back here, and we start talking about fixing that seal on your back’’

‘’Arigatogozaimashita’’ Elijah said, quickly climbing to his feet.

However, it was a little too late for apologies…

Out on the deck, Kathrina was slowly making her way up onto the forecastle deck, making sure that Merek and the others standing on the quarter deck didn’t see her. She looked around cautiously, but
then pulled a small dagger from her belt and dragged the blade across the palm of her hand, grunting quietly as her blood started dripping onto the floor. Putting the dagger back in her belt, she
held her hand over the side of the ship and watched as her blood dripped into the water below. She wasn’t sure whether this was going to work, but all she could do was hope that it would.

A few moments passed, and she still had her hand out over the edge of the ship, staring expectantly at the water below. But what she was hoping for didn’t seem to be happening. She sighed in
disappointment and pulled her hand back – suddenly, a cold breeze raced past behind her, sending an awful shiver down her spine as she stood there, her heart starting to race.

‘’Vell,’’ came Alucard’s distinctive voice, but he spoke a lot quietly, ‘’vhat do ve ‘ave ‘ere?’’

Slowly, Kathrina turned around – standing just inches away from her was what she had been hoping for – it was Alucard. He had a perplexed but sly look on his face, his fiery eyes glowing brightly,
his two fangs biting down on his bottom lip.

She stared at him, an unsettling sense of worry and fear racing through her. But she wasn’t going to let her fear consume her. She knew what she was doing. This was all there was to do.

‘’I want to make a deal’’ she said, glaring up at him.

Alucard frowned excitedly, ‘’a zeal?’’

Kathrina nodded, ‘’I’ll go with you’’ she said.

He grinned slyly, ‘’and vhat is it zat you vant in veturn?’’

‘’I want you to swear that you won’t hurt any of my friends’’

Amused by her stern attitude, he laughed slightly, ‘’my zear girl, I ‘ave no interest vhatsoever in zhese people – I juz’ vant you’’

She slowly looked down at the deck, thinking about everybody. She was going to miss them, but this was for the best. This way, she knew they would be safe, and that she’d never have to see Elijah
again. This was what she wanted.

She looked back up at him, ‘’then take me. I don’t want anything to do with these people anymore’’

He frowned sceptically, ‘’vhy ze sudden change of ‘eart?’’

‘’I was lied to by someone I thought loved me for my entire life, and now, I have no reason to be here. So, it’s time I looked for a new purpose. You seem to have one for me, so take me’’

His sceptical look quickly faded into a grin, ‘’I zee you ‘ave come to your senses – you can never be loved by zomething as bitter as a Zemon – zey vill come after you’’

She shook her head, ‘’no, they won’t. They’ll know I left of my own accord’’

‘’And vhy is zat?’’

Suddenly, the cabin door below opened, and Elijah walked out – his eyes instantly set upon her and Alucard, a look of fear painted on his pale face.

Kathrina looked over at him, but then looked back up at Alucard, ‘’because he’ll see me leave with you’’

Alucard looked over at Elijah who was frozen, staring at them. He grinned evilly and placed his right hand on Kathrina’s shoulder, ‘’vell zhen, let us be on our vay’’

Elijah felt as though he had just been impaled through the chest – an electrifying pain cut right through him, causing a mirage of different feelings – anger, sadness, fear, worry – but he had no
idea which of them to act upon. Standing there, right in front of him, was Kathrina… and Alucard. She seemed to have no look of fear on her face; she stared down at him vacantly, slowly slipping
her hand into Alucard’s as he held it out to her.

Luka suddenly walked out and stopped beside him, also noticing the two of them atop the forecastle deck.

Staring at Kathrina as she slowly looked away from Elijah and back up at him, Alucard grinned. Then, a thick cloud of vermilion-colored smoke surrounded them both. Kathrina had no idea what was
about to happen, but she knew Elijah was going to try and attack Alucard. She rested her head on Alucard’s chest as he wrapped his arms around her, the smoke consuming them both.

‘’N-No’’ Elijah whispered – abruptly, he sprang into action – claws bared, he leaned forward and started racing towards the forecastle deck at lightning speed, his heart racing, the fear of losing
Kathrina now controlling his every move, ‘’Kathrina!’’ he yelled.

He leaped up onto the deck and reached out for the smoke, but as his hand touched it, it vanished, dispersing into nothing. If he had just been a second faster – if he had just… they were gone.
Kathrina… was gone. His anger suddenly faded – he frantically looked around, but there was no sign of them anywhere – her scent was gone too. In the blink of an eye, she had disappeared, and there
was nothing he could do. Nothing.

The agonising pain of heartbreak returning, he groaned painfully, and dropped to his knees, gripping his shirt with his hand, gritting his teeth, trying to hold back his emotions.

Luka raced over and skidded down beside him, throwing his arms around him, unsure of how he was about to react to what he had just witnessed.

Below, everyone (including Harley) raced up from beneath the deck, looking around frantically, startled by Elijah’s recent cry for Kathrina. But as they stared up at the forecastle deck, they all
fell silent, staring in turmoil.

Elijah leaned forward and slammed his other hand down on the floor, yelling in both anger and heartbreak, holding his eyes shut tightly.

His brother had no idea what to do. He had never seen Elijah like this; the sorrow in his cries was heart breaking, and Luka could feel his own sadness increasing. He couldn’t bear seeing his
brother in such distress.

His yells turning into muffled cries, Elijah dug his claws into the deck beneath him, tears falling from his eyes, splashing onto the wood.

In an attempt to comfort him, Luka grabbed his brother’s arms and pulled him closer, hugging him slightly – Elijah suddenly grabbed onto Luka’s arms and cried quietly into his coat.

‘’Sore wa daijobu, ani’’ he said quietly, ‘’it’s alright’’

He gripped Luka tighter, unable to hold back his pain. He had never experienced heartbreak, and now that he was, it felt worse than almost dying. He could barely even breathe, his breaths short and
frantic, the pain only getting worse by the second. He felt so weak, so defeated. Alucard had taken Kathrina right in front of him, and she hadn’t even tried fighting back – it was all his fault.
There was no telling what was going to happen to her now, and whatever did happen, it would be on him. He had failed to protect her, he had caused her an unbelievable pain, and now, she had left
him alone. He had driven her away, just like he had always feared he would.

‘’What the hell happened?’’ Tsunami asked, looking over at Harley.

Harley shrugged, staring at Elijah and Luka.

Suddenly, Merek, Reiner and their two companions came running over – ‘’that Vampire…’’ Merek breathed, ‘’he took Kathrina!’’

Luka held his grieving brother tightly, unsure of what to say or do. He had seen what had happened, and it looked like Alucard had somehow convinced Kathrina not to resist. He must have threatened
her, or he could have even bitten her, putting her into a dazed state, making it impossible for her to fight back. There was no way Kathrina would just leave with the enemy, even after the fight
she had just had with his brother – there had to be some reason behind it.

‘’Eli,’’ Luka said quietly, trying to keep him as calm as possible, ‘’you and I both know Kathrina would not just leave – Alucard must have done something to keep her from attacking – we will get
her back, we will’’ he said, trying to convince him.

Grunting painfully, Elijah continued crying into his brother’s coat, the pain unlike anything he had ever felt before. He couldn’t even try to work out what had happened. All he could think about
was the fact that Kathrina was gone, and it was his fault. He had hurt her so badly, so cruelly. He had destroyed her, and now, he was alone. He couldn’t stand this feeling of loneliness – he loved
her so much, he cared about her more than anything – but what was that now? He had ruined everything. He was the one who had sworn never to leave her, never to hurt her, never to drive her away –
but he had done just that. He had destroyed everything, and he had never felt such agony.

‘’I c-can’t’’ Elijah grunted, struggling to speak through his sorrow, ‘’I can’t… I can’t live without… her – I won’t!’’

Gripping him tightly, Luka nodded slowly, trying to keep him from losing his temper, ‘’I know – I know, and you won’t have too – we will sail back to the city – we’ll get her back, we’ll kill
Alucard’’

‘’I do not doubt it, brother – but right now, you must keep your composure. That is the first step to saving her – understand?’’

Elijah’s tormenting sadness started turning into burning rage, his sorrowful cries turning into vicious, quiet growls. He was going to kill that piece of shit – he didn’t care what it took, he was
going to make him suffer in the worst kind of way – he was going to kill him over and over and over and over – he wouldn’t stop until he was begging on his knees like the low, disgusting piece of
shit that he was! He was going to suffer for even touching Kathrina – he was going to make Alucard feel an entirely new world of pain and torment.

Slowly, he calmed down, trying to keep his anger to a minimum. Luka was right. The last thing he needed right now was to lose his mind again, and go on another rampage. All he could do was wait
until they sailed back to the city – as soon as they reached it, he was going to find that bastard, no matter what it took, he was going to find him, kill him, and rescue Kathrina. He would go to
the ends of the Earth for her, and he knew she would do the same.

Dragging his hand across his face, Elijah slowly looked up at his brother, moving away from him, ‘’we sail back to the city – now’’

Luka nodded, letting go of his brother, ‘’indeed’’

Elijah stood up, wiping the tears from his face before he turned to look down at everyone. They were all looking up at him and his brother, confused, panicked looks on their faces. He frowned,
unsure of what to say – had they all seen him break down like that? He wasn’t sure; he would have known straight away by Alpha’s sly, smug grin, but he hadn’t donned it. He looked just as concerned
as everyone else.

He frowned, but kept his composure. He was going to rescue Kathrina. He was going to kill Alucard, get her back, and make her understand that everything that had happened was not real. Everything
he had said was not real. He did love her, he did want to spend his life with her, and he did need her. But first, they had to sail back to the city. In that time, he could prepare himself for the
battle he was going to face getting to Alucard, and then the one he would go through to kill him. He didn’t care what it took, he was going to prove himself to Kathrina, and after this was over, he
would take her away just like she had always wanted.

Staying as calm as possible, he started walking down from the forecastle deck, and he could feel everyone’s eyes on him. He couldn’t tell what they were thinking, but he didn’t need his
Psyche-Jikato to know they were blaming him for everything that had happened, even this. He wanted nothing more than to yell at them and make them understand that it wasn’t, but he knew his brother
was keeping a watchful eye on him; if he so much as looked like he was going to lose control again, Luka would imprison him just like he had sworn before he let him leave to speak to Kathrina.

But as he started walking along the deck back towards the cabin, he heard Tsunami mumble something to everybody, and they responded with hushed, approving whispers. He had heard him say his name,
and had mentioned the recent fight. But Elijah knew Tsunami had done it on purpose; he knew just as well as anyone else that Elijah would hear it, his Demon senses far more precise than normal. He
could feel his anger increasing, but he continued walking, Luka appearing at his side.

Suddenly, Tsunami stepped out from the crowd and glared over at him, ‘’you’re just walking away?’’ he asked sceptically, ‘’no outburst of rage? No determination to catch them? You’re just… walking
away?’’

Elijah stopped, slowly turning his head to glare over his shoulder at him.

‘’You’re just going to let Alucard take Kathrina? You’re not even going to try and chase after them?!’’

Before Elijah could answer, Luka placed his hand on his shoulder and turned to face Tsunami, ‘’we are sailing back to the city right now. We will conjure a plan along the way – we will retrieve
Kathrina, and we will kill Alucard. Everyone will most likely play a role, so get yourselves ready – apart from you’’ Luka said sternly, pointing to Harley who frowned, offended.

Harley shook his head in disapproval, ‘’why can’t I help?’’

‘’You are still recovering from- ‘’

Elijah suddenly grabbed Luka’s arm, making him take his hand off his shoulder. He frowned at his brother, watching as he stared over at Harley, a sceptical look on his face. Harley also frowned,
confused as to why Elijah was staring at him in such a way.

‘’What is it, brother?’’ Luka asked, staring at Elijah.

But he ignored him. Slowly, he started moving closer to Harley who looked around in confusion, making sure that it was him that Elijah was approaching.

‘’Why are you looking at me like that?’’ he asked, stepping back slightly as Elijah moved closer.

The group behind Harley also stepped back, confused by Elijah’s approach.

Confused and slightly intimidated, Harley tried stepping back again, but Elijah reached forward and grabbed him by his collar, making him grunt irritably.

‘’Eli?’’ Luka called, staring at him as he grabbed Harley, the sceptical look still on his face.

‘’What the hell are you doing?!’’ Harley exclaimed, trying to pull free.

Abruptly, Elijah pulled Harley closer –

Luka stepped forward to grab his brother, but stopped when he realised what he was doing.

Harley frowned strangely, staring at Elijah from the corner of his eye as he slowly moved his face closer to the left side of his neck – was he going to attack him? Bite him? Why wasn’t anyone
stopping him?!

The group also stared in confusion, but judging from Luka’s response, they presumed he knew what he was doing, so none of them did anything to intervene.

Grunting irritably, Harley waited, but as he heard Elijah inhale quietly, he frowned, both confused and worried.

Suddenly, Elijah snarled and let go, shoving Harley back rather harshly, staring at him in revolt and commiseration.

‘’You smell like a dog’’ he snarled with repugnance, backing off to stand beside Luka who had also gained the same wary look.

Confused, he frowned, ‘’I what? What the hell is that supposed to mean?’’ he asked, but the cautious look on Elijah’s face made him feel anxious – clearly, he knew something he didn’t. He slowly
looked over his shoulder and stared at everyone, but they seemed just as confused as he was.

Just then, Alpha made his way out from the crowd and grabbed Harley, suspicious of what Elijah had just said. He pulled him closer, and also held his face to his neck, inhaling – abruptly, he let
go and threw him back, turning his nose up at him in disgust, ‘’he’s right’’

‘’You’’ Elijah growled, slowly raising his hand to point at Opus, ‘’you did this on purpose’’

Everyone backed away, leaving Opus standing on his own, a vacant look on his face.

Confused, Harley looked back and fourth from Opus to Elijah – what was he talking about?

Pointing accusingly at the old man, Elijah frowned angrily, ‘’you planned this from the very moment we found out Alucard’s weakness, didn’t you?’’ he growled.

Opus blinked slowly and stared vacantly at Elijah, not at all intimidated.

‘’Didn’t you?!’’ he yelled, his anger quickly increasing.

The old man sighed and folded his arms in front of him, ‘’I am not sure I quite understand what it is that you are- ‘’

‘’Do not give me that bullshit!’’ Elijah yelled, ‘’you set him up, and now you plan to use him just like you’re using the rest of us!’’

Luka placed his hand on his furious brother’s shoulder, telling him to calm down. Harley continued frantically looking back and fourth at them, waiting for an explanation – they were talking about
him, but what was it about him that they were talking about? Opus had set him up? For what? How? And he apparently planned on using him? What was going on here?!

From the crowd, Thea leaned up to Alpha, ‘’what’s he talking about? Clearly, you know’’

Alpha looked down at her and shrugged, ‘’I’m sure scar-face will blurt it out in a minute’’

Thea frowned sceptically at him, but turned her attention back to Elijah and the old man.

Luka mumbled something into Elijah’s ear, and then backed away, allowing him to confront Opus as he stared vacantly back at him.

‘’You assume that I had something to do with this, yes?’’

‘’To do with what?!’’ Harley exclaimed impatiently.

Elijah frowned angrily, lowering his hand and clenching his fists at his sides, ‘’why are you even here, old man?’’ he growled, ‘’we do not need you – you are one of the people we have to kill, so
why should I wait? You are here, I am here – you are a problem I would rather dispose of sooner rather than later’’

The old man instantly scowled evilly, ‘’you would not dare try to kill me before I decide the time is right’’

‘’I would not dare?’’ he smirked, ‘’you know for a fact I would. In fact, I plan on killing you right now – you have raised far too much suspicion in my brother and I, and we think it’s high time
you either tell us what you are hiding, or I will kill you’’

Everyone looked at Elijah in confusion and shock, but then looked over at Opus, sceptical looks on their faces. Elijah was right. Opus kept a lot from them, and always seemed to have an answer to
everything. He kept more secrets than Elijah did, and avoided just as many questions as he did. This man turned up out of nowhere and decided to tag along with them, and later reveals himself
to not only be half-Warlock, but one of the people Kathrina had to kill – he was the one who brought this quest down on them in the first place. He was the ‘Sword Keeper’ – if he hadn’t have come
with them to kill Gahi, they wouldn’t even be here right now.

But that wasn’t what had them concerned. Right now, there was clearly something wrong with Harley, and it seemed to be because of Opus. Whatever it was, they wanted to know – their trust in this
old man was quickly fading, and they were starting to think Elijah was right. Maybe they should kill him now, he was, after all, one of the ten Elementals.

Elijah scowled evilly at Opus as he stared back with the same harsh look.

‘’You cannot kill me’’ Opus said sternly.

‘’Give me one reason why’’ Elijah growled.

Slowly, the old man sighed and calmed down, ‘’I am the Sword Keeper. If I die, the sword will manifest, and become a mortal object. While the sword is linked to me, it cannot be destroyed. But if
you kill me, the sword will no longer be linked to me, and it will be possible to destroy it. If the sword is destroyed, you have no weapon to kill the other Elementals, no weapon to kill Lucious –
he will come for you, and he will do far worse than tear your eyes from your head, boy’’ he threatened in a cold, dark tone that no one had ever heard him don before.

After hearing his words, everyone in the group started muttering to each other as Elijah scowled and slowly looked back at his brother.

‘’Anata wa are o shinjimasu ka?’’ Elijah called to his perplexed brother.

‘Do you believe that?’ – Luka frowned. He wasn’t sure. There was no way to tell whether the old man was lying or not; now that neither of them had their Psyche-Jikato, it was impossible to
read his thoughts, or tell if he was lying. However, if he was telling the truth, they couldn’t put the only weapon capable of killing these monsters at risk. If he was lying, then what would
really happen to the sword? He couldn’t tell; the only way to know would be to kill him, but he didn’t want to risk losing that sword.

Luka sighed, ‘’hai. Sore o otosu, kyodai’’

‘Yes. Drop it, brother’ – Elijah frowned angrily, but looked back to face Opus, ‘’why did you do it?’’ he asked, changing the subject.

‘’Do what?’’ the old man asked.

Slowly, Elijah looked over at Harley who was still staring anxiously at them both, ‘’anata wa okami otokodesu’’

Harley’s face dropped with panic – ‘’I’m… I’m a what?’’

‘’He’s a what?!’’ Logan called, understanding what he had just said.

Elijah looked over at the perplexed group, and then back at Harley who was staring down at the deck, his face covered in pure shock and terror – he had no idea. The old man had tricked him into
thinking he was cured, and now, he was going to have to live with it. He felt sympathy for him; he couldn’t imagine what it was like to become something like that – he had been born a monster, so
he had time to get used to it, but Harley had only just become one, and he was going to have to adjust to the new kind of abilities and disadvantages that came with such a curse.

‘’A Werewolf’’ Elijah said, looking around at everyone, ‘’this old shit did not remove the venom from Harley, and now, because of him, Harley is a Werewolf. You faked that extraction and you faked
his recovery! You allowed him to become this for your own purposes! You son of a- ‘’

‘’Elijah!’’ Luka growled, grabbing him before he could throw himself at the old man.

‘’You don’t give a fuck about the people around you! You didn’t give a shit about him and how it would destroy his life – you don’t give a shit!’’

Harley stood there, frozen. He had absolutely no idea how to feel about this… he was… a Werewolf? A monster… and it was all because of Opus? Why? Why him? What had he done to deserve this? There
was no telling what was going to become of him now, and he had no idea what to do. He was a Werewolf; a cursed creature. He could feel his heart racing, a sadness and anxiety building up within him
– he was going to turn into a monster, and it was because… it was because of Kathrina. She had been the one that stabbed him with the Werewolf venom-laced sword – if she hadn’t have stabbed him, he
wouldn’t have been infected in the first place, and the old man couldn’t have allowed it to happen.

Petrified and confused, Harley shuddered. He couldn’t blame her, could he? No, it wasn’t her fault. It was Opus’. He had the ability to cure him, but he chose to fake the procedure, and allowed him
to become infected with Lycanthropy. The old man had let this happen – and the question still remained: could they really trust Opus anymore?

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Comments

I don't know if what Elijah just went through is called 'justice' or something else but I feel like it is. I really didn't like his attitude when he's not being funny so I guess that's why. Anyways, great chapter! Why is it that when you do a scene with Alucard I never seem to expect it? Haha but on to the rest of this chapter.

So, ya kinda didn't reveal what would Kathrina say in Japanese, I expected something like farewell unless there is a bigger thing going on and I've missed it haha. Well, I kinda sympathized with Elijah but not so much. I guess it's because he's been an ass to everyone. Holy shit I almost forgot to mention Luka! Okay, I really like this guy, second favorite already the being Thea of course. I don't think I really need to express how much of a real big brother he is so I'll leave it at that.

Now I know you like twists so I'm not going to say much about the recent revelations regarding Harley since, well, you might come up with a reason that he tripped on some dogshit or somethin' I dunno XD I guess all I can say now is that I'm REALLY excited for the next chapter. :)

AuthorReply

Comment | 103 words

Fri, December 15th, 2017 5:23am

So you don't like Elijah huh? Or you just don't like his grumpy attitude? lol but yeah I guess I surprised you twice now xD

You'll find that out later, and I think you'll like it haha but yeah like I always say, Luka is great, I'm glad I chose to make him more important in this book and show up more than he did in the last one.

Wow okay this chapter must have been a tough one to write. Starting out with Luka his stern talk with Elijah is what he really needed. Luka is a good brother willing to do anything to protect Elijah. But you had it where Luka held nothing back, he even slammed Elijah's head into the table to show he wasn't playing around.

I never expected her to leave with Alucard. When she cut her hand open I almost thought she was tempting Elijah with it, but that wasn't it. Wow she just gave herself over willingly to Alucard and in front of Elijah. That really had to tear his heart in two. It actually made me start to tear up, feeling so bad for him and I know it had to be hurting her as well. This part had to be extremely rough to write.

It does make sense what Elijah said about Opus. Opus is a little shady at times. I am sure he didn't cure the Lycanthrope curse or whatever in Harley so they can use it against Alucard. I am super excited to see they have a werewolf in their group now, and it's Harley. Harley is already a bad ass this will make him even more of one lol.

Also dang it what was it that Kat wanted to learn from Harley to say in Japanese? Did I miss it somewhere?

AuthorReply

Comment | 173 words

Fri, December 15th, 2017 8:59pm

Yeah that's why it took as long as it did, it was pretty tough haha but that's just Luka, he's straight to the point, and he knows the only way to get through to Elijah is to hold nothing back lol

Another unexpected plot twist xD But yeah it basically destroyed him. He wasn't sure whether she had gone willingly or if Alucard had either threatened her or somehow confused her. But now he believes she was taken against her will.

The subject of Opus had been left untouched for too long, so I thought I'd use this chapter to get at that. Eli's angry, so he's gotta take it out on something lmao and yep poor but awesome Harley xD you'll see where that goes next chapter :)

Well, that would spoil the impending ending, so you shall see ;) I purposely didn't reveal what she wanted to know haha but I'm glad you enjoyed it, the next chapter will be up soon, I do, after all, plan on finishing this before Christmas lol

Hmm, it is approaching the end, isn't it? As if Kathrina is pulling a heel turn, nice event though, when she left with Alucard I was astonished, and I especially felt Elijah's pain, ah what a girl wouldn't do to win an argument, huh? They really are meant for each other, no matter how abusive it is...I suppose lol And Opus is an opp, eh? Wait, how many Elementals are there again? Oh, and damn, I didn't think Alucard could feel fear, he seemed so much less threatening in this chapter lol he was like the dude that tries to steal your girlfriend, but doesn't want any problems with you lmao

AuthorReply

Comment | 37 words

Fri, December 15th, 2017 9:00pm

Getting very close, yep haha

And yep, you'd thought it would be Elijah huh? haha

There's 10 Elementals, but three have already been killed. And yeah Alucard is a weird one haha I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter :)

........ why. Why do you choose to torture me.... you truly wish to make me drown in tears... SO I WILL DO THE SAME TO YOU!

Well this was an amazing chapter. Chu made me cri and I now hate you a bit. But Kathrina asked Harley for something in japanese... i'm assuming she either wrote something down in japanese to leave behind for Elijah or is going to somehow find a way to kill Alucard with words. She has the elemental sword power thing but no werewolf venom, so no chance of killing him on her own....

You made him a fucking werewolf. I swear I called this a few chapters ago.... but YAY A WEREWOLF! Now we got three demons, a dead vampire, a werewolf and however you spell Octavia's species!

You are truly a master at this type of stuff. Imma read more in a sec after a few chapter edits. *pokes Kathrina with spork*

Okay i know you have a song for that scene but, two depressing emo came in the background while I'm reading and the lines just came like. "Without you is how I disappear" over and over I'm I'm just fucking thinking about Elijah hahaha, like oh gahd, no. What the heck this is three chapter in a row! Stahp! It's so depressing like holy shet. I don't really know what to think, cause when you said she like cut herself, i thought shed commit suicide, but then it was Alucard. I don't know, it just, hit me in the freaking face. Then Elijah came and that epic Kathrina facing him and saying he'd see it. Ohmygawd, "I don't love you like i loved you...YESTERDAY!!!" (the other song that came up hahaha) this chapter or rather the past like three chapters brought out my eno spirit. Damn you!

That Japanese thingy Kathrina asked Harley. Please don't it be done sort of plan to kill Alucard, plea! No! Id be so disappointed. Just be some really emotional sort of farewell or something thatll make me cry. Hahahaha

Going to something cool tho, Luka haha. I think hes a very admirable and nice brother. He's so concerned about Elijah and was willing to do anything to protect him. When he slammed his head to the table, i just died. I don't know if i should find it funny or like seriously. Well, all in al i really like him, badass hahaa.

Okay, I'm sorry everyone, especially Harley but that's pretty fcking cool. Feels bad but like, yeah! A werewolf among them hahah, awesome. I dont know, I'm a terrible human. There is Harley horrified from being a monster but I'm just so intent on the werewolf part hahaha. Opus tho, what? I felt him being so enigmatic in this chapter like, damn... Still trust him tho, i mean, i don't know. I just don't see him betraying them haha.

Also. I must congratulate you something. You make the characters seem very human. Ok, I know they are not, but their psychology is fascinating and as far as I can tell, accurate. It's so good that the characters nearly seem alive. My characters are puppets in comparison. But of course, they live in a very different setting.